Seeking, sighting warblers in Michigan

Published: Sunday, September 16, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, September 14, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.

It was very hot when we arrived in Detroit. This was supposed to be the cool North, but thankfully the predictions were for cool weather ahead of us for our Michigan tour.

We started the tour with a stop at a new spot for us — the Lower Huron Metropark. This section of a larger park system was very nice indeed, with sycamores lining the slow-moving river and a mosaic of forest, shrubs and open meadow ecosystems. Red-headed and red-bellied woodpeckers called and flew across the river and warbling vireos sang their complicated songs from the tall cottonwoods.

This habitat was unlike anything we would see farther north as we headed toward jack pine and boreal spruce-fir forests. There were several birds, such as tufted titmice and yellow-throated vireo, that we would not see again as we started to drive north toward Grayling and our appointment with the Kirtland's warbler.

The next morning was planned to be the early highlight of our trip as we joined guides from the U.S. Forest Service to enjoy the early morning songs of the Kirtland's warblers.

We were not disappointed as we had multiple scope views of this endangered species, often very close to us in the young jack pines.

It was then northbound again to cross the spectacular Mackinac Bridge and then onto our hotel near Seney National Wildlife Refuge. The sun was still hot as we looked for ducks near the bridge, finding a small flock of common mergansers, including a splendid adult male. The economic recession has had its effect on businesses along Michigan's more rural highways, and the roadsides were littered with closed restaurants and hotels. Thankfully we stopped at the first available dinner spot as we headed west along the southern shore of the Upper Peninsula. Our hotel and the nearby restaurant were bright lights in the otherwise bleak tourist landscape.

Unfortunately the impending rain and wind was now imminent, and our morning doing the driving route around Seney was less than stellar. Several pairs of trumpeter swans and common loons dotted the lagoons and the well-known eagle nest contained a well-grown youngster. Paradise is an interesting place, with a few remaining places to stay and even fewer restaurants. Thankfully nearby Tahquamenen Falls State Park had a brewery and pretty good restaurant — perfect for dinner that night and the next two evenings.

The rain came in again, and the temperature dropped for our walk around Whitefish Point. Our next day was planned to be another highlight — this time we had a date with a Connecticut warbler. It had been a couple of years since I had last driven this road, so I was a little nervous about finding my reliable CW spot. I need not have worried as we easily heard him singing from the side of the road. We found him sitting high in a tamarack tree and watched him for as long as we wished. What a relief and what a great view!

The rest of the day was spent driving a multitude of backwoods roads looking for those tough boreal birds. We missed out on some of them, but who could not remember the male Cape May warbler in the full sun singing high atop a spruce? We did find one olive-sided flycatcher lurking in a spruce bog, but we never found the elusive spruce grouse.

Because of the drought this year, there had been a spate of forest fires, including a large one in the Paradise area. It had thankfully been extinguished a few weeks before our visit. As a result of this, large areas of forest had been blackened, including several of our potential birding areas. Still, I had to explore the sandy roads in our van, and despite my best maneuvering, I got the vehicle stuck in the sand — across the sandy track! No pushing or shoving or digging holes under the tires could get the vehicle to move, so I was on my way to town to get help as another truck pulled up. Yes, he had a rope and, yes, he got us out of our predicament and, yes, we were very lucky. And we did not even miss dinner!

<p>It was very hot when we arrived in Detroit. This was supposed to be the cool North, but thankfully the predictions were for cool weather ahead of us for our Michigan tour. </p><p>We started the tour with a stop at a new spot for us — the Lower Huron Metropark. This section of a larger park system was very nice indeed, with sycamores lining the slow-moving river and a mosaic of forest, shrubs and open meadow ecosystems. Red-headed and red-bellied woodpeckers called and flew across the river and warbling vireos sang their complicated songs from the tall cottonwoods. </p><p>This habitat was unlike anything we would see farther north as we headed toward jack pine and boreal spruce-fir forests. There were several birds, such as tufted titmice and yellow-throated vireo, that we would not see again as we started to drive north toward Grayling and our appointment with the Kirtland's warbler. </p><p>The next morning was planned to be the early highlight of our trip as we joined guides from the U.S. Forest Service to enjoy the early morning songs of the Kirtland's warblers. </p><p>We were not disappointed as we had multiple scope views of this endangered species, often very close to us in the young jack pines. </p><p>It was then northbound again to cross the spectacular Mackinac Bridge and then onto our hotel near Seney National Wildlife Refuge. The sun was still hot as we looked for ducks near the bridge, finding a small flock of common mergansers, including a splendid adult male. The economic recession has had its effect on businesses along Michigan's more rural highways, and the roadsides were littered with closed restaurants and hotels. Thankfully we stopped at the first available dinner spot as we headed west along the southern shore of the Upper Peninsula. Our hotel and the nearby restaurant were bright lights in the otherwise bleak tourist landscape. </p><p>Unfortunately the impending rain and wind was now imminent, and our morning doing the driving route around Seney was less than stellar. Several pairs of trumpeter swans and common loons dotted the lagoons and the well-known eagle nest contained a well-grown youngster. Paradise is an interesting place, with a few remaining places to stay and even fewer restaurants. Thankfully nearby Tahquamenen Falls State Park had a brewery and pretty good restaurant — perfect for dinner that night and the next two evenings. </p><p>The rain came in again, and the temperature dropped for our walk around Whitefish Point. Our next day was planned to be another highlight — this time we had a date with a Connecticut warbler. It had been a couple of years since I had last driven this road, so I was a little nervous about finding my reliable CW spot. I need not have worried as we easily heard him singing from the side of the road. We found him sitting high in a tamarack tree and watched him for as long as we wished. What a relief and what a great view! </p><p>The rest of the day was spent driving a multitude of backwoods roads looking for those tough boreal birds. We missed out on some of them, but who could not remember the male Cape May warbler in the full sun singing high atop a spruce? We did find one olive-sided flycatcher lurking in a spruce bog, but we never found the elusive spruce grouse. </p><p>Because of the drought this year, there had been a spate of forest fires, including a large one in the Paradise area. It had thankfully been extinguished a few weeks before our visit. As a result of this, large areas of forest had been blackened, including several of our potential birding areas. Still, I had to explore the sandy roads in our van, and despite my best maneuvering, I got the vehicle stuck in the sand — across the sandy track! No pushing or shoving or digging holes under the tires could get the vehicle to move, so I was on my way to town to get help as another truck pulled up. Yes, he had a rope and, yes, he got us out of our predicament and, yes, we were very lucky. And we did not even miss dinner!</p>